MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers fans lined the streets of Milwaukee on Friday morning, with thousands expected for a parade celebrating the franchise's first World Series title.
The small-market Brewers gave their long-suffering fans the championship they had been waiting for with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, clinching the Series in five games.
Milwaukee Public Schools canceled classes on Friday, allowing fans to enjoy the parade that will run through downtown and conclude with a fan fest at Henry Maier Festival Park, not far from the shore of Lake Michigan.
Thousands arrived hours beforehand to get the best possible view as the parade went through Wisconsin Avenue, a route similar to the one the 1982 team took during its parade after losing the World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers hadn't been back to the Fall Classic since until this year.
Kasey Diedrich, one of the fans at the parade, said he attended his first Brewers game as a 4-year-old in 1983, the year after that World Series appearance. Little did he know at the time how long he would have to wait for the Brewers to make it back.
“I don’t think we still think it happened," Diedrich said. “It seems like a dream.”
Diedrich was at the parade with his father, Mark Diedrich, a 76-year-old who has been an on-and-off partial season ticket holder since the 1980s. Diedrich said he actually owns the seats from the old Milwaukee County Stadium where he and one of his sons were sitting when Hall of Famer Robin Yount got his 3,000th hit in 1992.
“We could tell you stories for days of all the games we went to,” Mark Diedrich said. “I remember going to opening day with these guys and there was ice on the steps of County Stadium. We’re sitting down to get ready for the game and a guy's spreading salt to melt the ice on the steps.”
Mark Diedrich showed off a picture he took during the World Series of him and his sons wearing T-shirts detailing his bucket-list items, which included attending an All-Star Game, going to a Rolling Stones concert and seeing Brewers back-to-back World Series appearances.
They already had gone to an All-Star Game when it reached Milwaukee in 2002. They also saw the Rolling Stones. Now they finally have seen the Brewers in the World Series.
“Unbelievable,” said Mark Diedrich, who was wearing a Jackson Chourio T-shirt. “You just never thought it would happen. But it did."
The Diedriches were one of many families who had multiple generations representing them at the parade.
Craig Muehl, a 42-year-old from the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, said he inherited his Brewers fandom from his father. Muehl woke up early to attend the parade with his young son and daughter.
“It all started, just like many families around here, sitting outside in the summer and fall,” Muehl said. “My dad had the Brewers game on the radio everywhere we went. Some families have music on the radio. We had the Brewers games all summer long.”
Several Brewers, including team captain Christian Yelich and Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, went to Lambeau Field for Thursday night's Green Bay Packers game. They received a huge ovation, especially when pitcher Brandon Woodruff emerged from the tunnel in the second quarter holding the Commissioner's Trophy.
A few players attempted a “Lambeau leap” into the crowd, with outfielder Sal Frelick having the most success. Those Brewers players later were shown on the video board cheering as they wore cheeseheads that included the message, “2026 WS Champions.”
A large police presence is expected for the parade to handle the big crowds and heavy traffic.
The franchise originated as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers the following year.
Milwaukee has celebrated a World Series title once before. The Milwaukee Braves won the 1957 World Series over the New York Yankees before moving to Atlanta in 1966.
___
